News Release

2014-08-11

HELENA, MT - Most people would welcome having $3 million turn up unexpectedly. But when you're running in a closely contested U.S. Senate race and the money shows up in your campaign contribution reports--as it did recently for Republican candidate Terri Lynn Land in Michigan--a windfall like that can turn some heads.

Land eventually explained the snafu, but it prompted the Institute for Money in State Politics to take a look at her campaign contribution history. Among other items, we found that her husband has been highly supportive of Land in her previous campaigns -he was her top donor in her two successful Secretary of State races.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics collects and analyzes campaign contribution information on state-level candidates, political party committees, and ballot committees. Its free, searchable database of contributions is online at its classic websiteFollowTheMoney.org or at its new websitebeta.FollowTheMoney.org